Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List Of Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Introduction
- Chapter One Building local power: 1970s
- Chapter Two Power through numbers: 1980–1985
- Chapter Three Power in unity: 1980–1987
- Chapter Four Breaking the apartheid mould: 1980–1982
- Chapter Five Worker action fans out: 1980–1984
- Chapter Six Melding institutional, campaign and bureaucratic power: 1983–1990
- Chapter Seven Conquest of Metal Industrial Council: 1987–1988
- Chapter Eight Auto workers take power: 1982–1989
- Chapter Nine Auto takes on the industry: 1990–1992
- Chapter Ten New directions: 1988–1991
- Chapter Eleven Defeat of Mawu strategy: 1990–1992
- Chapter Twelve Towards a new industry: 1993
- Chapter Thirteen The Cinderella sector: 1983–1990
- Chapter Fourteen Applying vision in auto and motor: 1990–1995
- Chapter Fifteen Applying vision in engineering: 1994–1995
- Chapter Sixteen Independent worker movement: 1980–1986
- Chapter Seventeen Beginnings of alliance politics: 1984–1986
- Chapter Eighteen Weakening the socialist impulse: Civil war in Natal 1987–1994
- Chapter Nineteen Civil war in Transvaal: 1989–1994
- Chapter Twenty New politics: 1987–1990
- Chapter Twenty-One Disinvestment: Pragmatic politics 1985–1989
- Chapter Twenty-Two Compromising on socialism: Legacy of the Alliance 1989–1995
- Appendix
- Notes
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Chapter Seventeen - Beginnings of alliance politics: 1984–1986
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2018
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List Of Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Introduction
- Chapter One Building local power: 1970s
- Chapter Two Power through numbers: 1980–1985
- Chapter Three Power in unity: 1980–1987
- Chapter Four Breaking the apartheid mould: 1980–1982
- Chapter Five Worker action fans out: 1980–1984
- Chapter Six Melding institutional, campaign and bureaucratic power: 1983–1990
- Chapter Seven Conquest of Metal Industrial Council: 1987–1988
- Chapter Eight Auto workers take power: 1982–1989
- Chapter Nine Auto takes on the industry: 1990–1992
- Chapter Ten New directions: 1988–1991
- Chapter Eleven Defeat of Mawu strategy: 1990–1992
- Chapter Twelve Towards a new industry: 1993
- Chapter Thirteen The Cinderella sector: 1983–1990
- Chapter Fourteen Applying vision in auto and motor: 1990–1995
- Chapter Fifteen Applying vision in engineering: 1994–1995
- Chapter Sixteen Independent worker movement: 1980–1986
- Chapter Seventeen Beginnings of alliance politics: 1984–1986
- Chapter Eighteen Weakening the socialist impulse: Civil war in Natal 1987–1994
- Chapter Nineteen Civil war in Transvaal: 1989–1994
- Chapter Twenty New politics: 1987–1990
- Chapter Twenty-One Disinvestment: Pragmatic politics 1985–1989
- Chapter Twenty-Two Compromising on socialism: Legacy of the Alliance 1989–1995
- Appendix
- Notes
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
In 1984, the popular challenge to the apartheid state reached new intensity. By late 1982, black community struggles for better education and basic township services had moved to the Transvaal. The UDF began a campaign against Nationalist reforms which seriously undermined the government's political programme and positioned the UDF as the dominant internal opponent to apartheid. Embracing the ANC's call to make townships ‘ungovernable’, it urged the building of ‘organs of people's power’ through street committees and ‘people's courts’.At the same time, thousands of black pupils boycotted schools in protest against ‘gutter education’ demanding ‘people's education for people's power’. By August 1984, many schools were permanently on boycott, and students fought running battles with police who responded using teargas, birdshot, rubber bullets and live munition.
In 1983 Cosas (Congress of South African Students) had established a presence in Katlehong. It was launched in 1979 to represent black school students nationally, and was affiliated to the UDF. By 1984 it was the largest youth organisation on the East Rand and 556 of its activists had been detained. Cosas brought the struggle for decent education into workers’ homes and parents began to support their children's struggles and to enter community organisations. In addition, by 1983 South Africa was in recession. Unemployment, rising prices, low wages, squatter removals and rising rents were issues workers now confronted.
Battles on the education front ignited other townships. When local authorities raised rents to finance township infrastructure, communities rose to challenge the entire system of local government. Struggles against councils became progressively more violent as community and youth organisations clashed with the police, and later the armed forces. Councillors fled townships and the black local government system collapsed.
UDF affiliates were central to these struggles which brought the ANC exile movement back to the centre of resistance politics. The government responded by declaring successive states of emergency and the South African Defence Force (SADF) occupied most townships. The mobilisation of the army reflected the growing presence of the military in state affairs. When black councils collapsed, the SADF activated joint management centres (JMCs), established in 1979, to regain control of townships. These were in turn linked to the State Security Council accountable to State President, PW Botha.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Metal that Will not BendNational Union of Metalworkers of South Africa 1980–1995, pp. 336 - 364Publisher: Wits University PressPrint publication year: 2011